Jason Wu / Pre-Fall 2012

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It is indicative of our times when a young designer chooses to roll out a pre-fall collection as high-octane in spirit and execution as Jason Wu did this season. Despite traditionally being the most commercial offering of the year, not to mention the one that lingers in stores longest, the only items in this collection close to throw-it-on basics were a crocheted camel, burnt orange, and royal blue color-block sweater which had been meticulously knotted together by hand, and a charcoal jersey T-shirt overlaid with tulle and sprouting with tiny floral jade embroideries that, no matter how old it got, would never be regarded as appropriate workout gear. “Dressing up is the thing now,” admits Wu with a shrug. “People no longer dress for an occasion because every day is an occasion; there’s no hard line between day and evening.”

That the opulent formality of the Maharaja and the graphic whimsy of Charley Harper’s illustrations were Wu’s starting points, makes all the more sense. “Combining the two meant a strict silhouette with stately embellishments,” he says, pulling out a houndstooth sheath adorned with bugle beads, before adding pointedly: “No detail has been spared.” Those components—ladylike dresses and intricate beading—have long played a part within Wu’s sports couture approach. But this season, perhaps in anticipation of his impending collaboration with Target, out in February, those elements have been heightened all the more.